During the second millennium BCE, Syria was occupied successively by
Canaanites, Phoenicians, and Arameans as part of the general
disruptions associated with the Sea Peoples; the Phoenicians settled
along the coastline of these area as well as in the west (Now Lebanon
& The current

Since approximately 10 000 BC Syria was one of centers of Neolithic
culture (PPNA) where agriculture and cattle breeding appeared for the
first time in the world. The following Neolithic period (PPNB) is
represented by rectangular houses of Mureybet culture.

The modern Syrian state was established as a French mandate and
attained independence in April 1946, as a parliamentary republic. The
post-independence period was tumultuous, and a large number of
military coups and coup attempts shook the country in the period
1949-1970.

The name Syria formerly comprised the entire region of the Levant,
while the modern state encompasses the site of several ancient
kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the third
millennium BC.

The population of Syria is 74% Sunni Muslim, with a 13% Shia and
Alawite Muslim population, 10% Christian and 3% Druze. Since the
1960s, Alawite military officers have tended to dominate the country's
politics.

Syria is arid, relying very much upon water coming down from the
mountains in Turkey. Most of the country is flat, but has mountains
towards the border of Lebanon. The east is desert, the western coast
has a mediterranean climate.

Syrian economy is relatively weak, but there has recently been
many initiatives to open it up.
Syria has during the recent years become more open towards
Western powers, and there has been ease on internal opposition.

A newer version of this article is available: see Syria at Schools
Wikipedia SOS Children works in Syria. For more information see SOS
Children in Syria, Africaالجمهوريّة العربيّة السّوريّة
Al-Jumhūriyyaḧ al-ʻArabiyyaḧ as-Sūriyyaḧ (Arabic)
Image:Syrlogo.

Historically, Syria has
often been taken to include the territories of Lebanon, Israel and the
Palestinian Territories, and parts of Jordan, but excluding the Jazira
region in the north-east of the modern Syrian state.

Map of Syria Map of Syria
Syria (Arabic: سوريا ‎ Sūriyā or سورية Sūriyah), officially the Syrian
Arab Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية ), is a country in
Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon, the Mediterranean Sea and the
island of Cyprus to the

Syria was formerly a French mandate and attained independence in 1946,
but can trace its roots to the fourth millennium BC. Its capital city,
Damascus, was the seat of the Umayyad Empire and a provincial capital
of the Mamluk Empire.

Syria gained independence in April 1946. Officially a Republic, Syria
is under Emergency Law since 1963 and governed by the Baath Party; the
head of state since 1970 has been a member of the Assad family.

June 24 Thousands of Syrians turned out for weekly protests in the
country’s most restive towns and cities, denouncing as insincere an
overture by President Bashar al-Assad for dialogue and testing the
ability of the military and the government’s already-stretched
security forces to contain

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Since March 1963, the Syrian Arab Republic has
been ruled by an authoritarian regime dominated by the Socialist
Ba'ath Party. While the ruling Ba'ath party espouses a largely secular
ideology, Islamic traditions and beliefs provide a religious
foundation for the country's customs and practices.

as-Suriya, the Syrian Arab Republic ) is one of the larger states
of the Middle East and has its capital in Damascus. Syria is bordered
to the north by Turkey, to the east by Iraq, by Jordan and Israel to
the south, and by Lebanon to the south-west.

WARNING: Travel to Syria is not recommended at this time due to a
state of severe political crisis. Since January 2011, the unrest
within the country has continued to intensify and many people have
been injured or killed by government security forces.

Ancient Syria also included Lebanon, most of present-day Israel and
Jordan, and part of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Settled c. 2100 B.C. by
Amorites, the region was later conquered by Hittites, Assyrians,
Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans.

Syria consists of a
coastal zone with abundant water supplies, a mountain zone that
includes the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, and a portion of the Syrian
Desert. The Euphrates River is its most important water source and
only navigable river.

The Syrian Arab Republic is a Middle Eastern country, bordered by
Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey.
The capital is Damascus. Other important cities include Aleppo and
Hama. Most settlement is near the Mediterranean coast, with the
interior consisting largely of steppe.

coincide with ancient Syria, which was the strip of fertile land lying
between the eastern Mediterranean coast and the desert of northern
Arabia. The capital is Damascus (Dimashq), on the Barada River,
situated in an oasis at the foot of Mount Qasiyun.

After Syria gained its independence in 1946, political life in the
country was highly unstable, owing in large measure to intense
friction between the country's social, religious, and political
groups. In 1970 Syria came under the authoritarian rule of Pres.

Slightly larger than North Dakota, Syria lies at the eastern end of
the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Lebanon and Israel on the
west, Turkey on the north, Iraq on the east, and Jordan on the south.

backwater - Syria is a modern, efficient and very proud nation with an
administration that is becoming more liberal and outward looking by
the day. It needs and deserves travellers to bear witness to this
fact.

the world to think, Syria is not populated by terrorists, zealots and
other bogeymen. In fact, Syrians are among the most friendly and
hospitable people in the world, and most visitors to their country end
up developing a lifelong infatuation with its gentle charms.

After the Turkish defeat in World War I, Syria was mandated to France
and became independent with the ejection of Vichy troops by the Allies
in 1941. From 1958 to 1961, Syria was united with Egypt as the United
Arab Republic.

President of the Syrian Arab Republic is Bashar al-Assad, he is also
Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. Bashar al-Assad became
president after the death of his father Hafez al-Assad, who held
office from 1970 until his death in 2000.

modern state of Syria can trace its roots to the fourth millennium
B.C.E. Syrian scholars and artists contributed to Hellenistic and
Roman thought and culture. Its capital city, Damascus, was the seat of
the Umayyad Empire and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Empire.

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic is a Middle Eastern country
bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Lebanon to the west, Israel to the
southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the
north.

Because of its strategic geographic location, Syria has historically
been a focus of transit trade among many countries of the Middle East
and is a vital factor in Arab politics and in Arab-Israeli
hostilities.

Syria falls into two main geographical regions, a western region and a
much larger eastern region. The western region, which includes about
two thirds of the country's population, can be subdivided into four
parallel north-south zones.

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria's economy, reeling from three months of
unrest, faces currency pressures that could deplete reserves and
undermine President Bashar al-Assad's chances of political survival,
businessmen and diplomats said.

Ethnic Syrians are of Semitic stock. Syria's population is 90%
Muslim-74% Sunni, and 16% other Muslim groups, including the Alawi,
Shi'a, and Druze-and 10% Christian. There also is a tiny Syrian
Jewish community.

Since 1963, Syria has been under
Emergency Law, which effectively suspends most constitutional
protections.
Branches: Executive-president, two vice presidents, prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative-unicameral People's
Council.

Syrian Arab Socialist Union or ASU, Syrian Communist
Party (two branches); Syrian Social Nationalist Party; Unionist
Socialist Party; and other parties not legally recognized but
quasi-tolerated, generally considered opposition-oriented but
enfeebled and reluctant to challenge the government.

Modern Syria was created as a French mandate and attained independence
in April 1946, as a parliamentary republic. The post-independence
period was rocky, and a large number of military coups and coup
attempts shook the country in the period 1949-1970.

The name Syria derives from ancient Greek name for Syrians, Σύριοι
Syrioi, which the Greeks applied without distinction to the Assyrians.
A number of modern scholars argue that the Greek word is traced back
to the cognate Ἀσσυρία, Assyria, ultimately derived from the Akkadian

Syria's current president is
Bashar al-Assad, who won a referendum on extending his presidency for
second term, garnering 97.62 percent of votes in 2007 and is the son
of Hafez al-Assad, who held office from 1970 until his death in 2000.

administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in 1946.
The new country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a
series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with
Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic.

separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was
reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the
Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a
bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country.